Rotary valve



March 26, 1935. H. E. MccRERY 1,995,394

' ROTARY VALVE Filed April 2, 193gy s sheets-sheet 1 March 26, 1935. H, E. MccRERY ROTARY VALVE Filed April 2, 1932 5 sheets-sheet 2 l ,fill/4m INVENTOR March 26, 1935. H, E MCCRERY 1,995,394

ROTARY VALVE Filed April 2, 1932 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Patented Mar. 26, 1935 l UNITED STTES PATENT GFFICE ROTARY VALVE Harold E. McCi-ery, Pittsburgh, Pa., assigner to Blaw-Knox Company, Blawnox, Pa., a corporation of New Jersey Application April 2, 1932, Serial No. 602,830

4 Claims. (Cl. 221-130) This invention relates generally to apparatus a hollow rotor 18 of the shape indicated in Figfor feeding powdered material, and more parure 4. The rotor is of general cylindrical shape ticularly to a rotary valve for accurately conhaving closed ends 19. The ends are provided trolling the flow f such material from a bin or with trunnions 20 which fit in trunnion bearings storage hopper. Although the Valve is adapted 21 formed 011 the Casing 2- Secured t0 one 0f 5 for feeding various powdered materials it is dethe trunnions 20 is aSprOCket Wheel 22 Which may scribed herein particularly as applied to feeding be rotated by a Chain 22-11 frOm any desired cement from a hopper. means, for causing rotation of the rotor 18.

In the accompanying drawings which illus- Parts'of the periphery of the rotor are broken trate a preferred embodiment of my invention, away to form openings 23 and 24 through which 10 Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal section cement may be fed When the r0t0r is in the POSithrough the valve and a portion of a hopper comtien indicated in Figlire 2- AS stated abOVe, When municating with the valve; feeding cement in the normal operation of the Figure 2 is a transverse section on a smaller apparatus the Slide Valve '7 iS Pulled Out from scale taken on the line lI-II of Figure 1, showthe position indicated in this figure so as to allow 15 ing the valve in o'pen position; cement to be fed from the Ahopper through the Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 2 showing rotary valve. The remaining portion of the pethe valve in position to deliver materiau from the riphery 0f the rotor forms two closure elements interior of the valve; 25 and 26, the element 25 being of greater length Figure 4 is a longitudinal section 0f the rotary than the element 26. The element 25 is longer 20 valve taken on the line IV-IV of Figure 2; than the inlet opening 27 of the valve casing so Figure 5 is an end view of the valve shown in that the element will close the opening when ro- Figure 4; and tated clockwise one-quarter of a revolution fromA Figure 6 is a broken plan view Showing a, Slide the position indicated in Figure 2. The element valve and assembly for controlling the flow of 26 is longer than the outlet-opening 28 of the 25 material from the hopper into the rotary valve, valve casing so that it will close the outlet open- Referring more particularly to the accompany. ing when the rotor has been rotated one quarter ing drawings, a valve casing 2. is provided with revolution.

a ange 3 on its upper edge, the nange 3 being In the operation of weighing out a given quansecured by bolts 4 to a flange 5 formed on the tity 0f Cement, the slide valve 'l is withdrawn and 30 lower edge of a hopper 6. Intel-posed between the cement flows through the rotor 18 which is the flanges 3 and 5 is a frame-work in which a, then in the position indicated in Figure 2 and is slide valve 7 operates, the slide Valve being adaptdelivered through the outlet opening 28. After ed to control the flow of cement from the hopthe apprOXiinate desired Weight has been de' per into the Valve casing. The frame-for the slide livered, the rotor 18 is I'Otated eleekwise One- 35 valve '7 comprises an upper plate 8, a lower plate quarter'revolution from the position indicated in 9 and a spacer plate 10, the frame forming grooves Figure 2, thereby completely closing the inlet 27 11 in which the slide operates. One end of the and the outlet 28. The final accurately measured slide is formed in a vertical iiange 12ras shown quantity of cement is then supplied from the ce- 40 in Figure 2, the ange serving as a handle for ment contained withinthe interior of the rotor 18 40 Operating the Slide. Paeking material 13 is placed by further rotating the rotor until it is in the pobetween the Plate 8 and the flange 5, Vand besition indicated in Figure 3. 1n this position the tween the plate 9 arid the aPge 3- The for" inlet is closed but the interior of the rotor is in ward end 15 of the slide valveis formed a.t each communication with the outlet opening 23 so 51de mth Plow'shap .pm ectons 16 Whlch Pre' that smaii quantities of the kcement within the 45 vent cement from sticking in the grooves 11. In t b d u d -th' tbm-ng d th in.. the normal operation of the apparatus the slide ro or can e e vere .n ou un er e uence of the cement in the hopper. When the valve 7 is withdrawn and the slot through which it is inserted is plugged up the now of cement desired amount of material has dehvered the being controlled in the normal operation of the rotor 1S rotaie@ cofmtFr'clocFWls? a' few degrees apparatus entirely by the rotary valve about to from the position indicated mFigure 3 so as to be described, It is only when repairs or replaceclose both the inlet and outlet openings. When it ment of the rotary valve is required that the slide is desired to weigh out another batch of cement valve is used. the rotor is rotated counter-clockwise until it as- Mounted for rotation within the casing 2 is sumes the position indicatedinFigure 2, inwhich 55 interior of the valve.

position the cement is free to flow through the openings 23 and 24 in the rotor.

In order that smallquantities of cement may be delivered from the interior of the rotor during the final part of the weighing operation, a scraper or paddle 30 is disposed inside of the rotor. The scraper is connected by arms 31 to a shaft 32 which extends through one of the trunnions 20 and has a sprocket wheel 33 secured to its end.

The trunnions 20 act as bearings for the shaft 32- which is rotatable relative to the trunnions. A chain 34 passes around the sprocket 33 and around a sprocket 35 secured to a shaft 36 which may be rotated by means of a crank 37 as shown in Figure 1. Rotation of the crank causes the scraper 3G to rotate in a counter-clockwise direction so as to force cement within the rotor out through the outlet opening 28.

The ends 19 of the rotor are provided with scraper blades 40 as shown in Figure 5. These blades contact with the inner surface of the casing 2 and prevent cement from sticking between these parts. The cement loosened by the blades 40 falls into an annular pocket 41 shown in Figure 1 from where it is delivered through the casing outlet with the rest of the material passing through the valve. The elements and 26 forming a part of the periphery of the rotor 18 are provided With ribs 42 which prevent cement from sticking between the rotor and the inner cylindrical surface 43 of the valve casing.

In the operation of weighing out a quantity of cement or other material, the approximate amount is weighed out when the rotor is.in the position indicated in Figure 2 and the cement which is being delivered is under the influence of the Weight of the cement which is in the hopper. However, when the approximate amount of material has been delivered, the valve is rotated so as to cut oi the supply of cement from the hopper to the interior of the valve .and the nal quantity is delivered from the interior of the valve by cracking it slightly. During this latter portion of the weighing operation the cement flowing through the outlet opening 28 is not under the influence of the cement in the hopper and, accordingly, small accurately controlled quantities may be delivered. The scraper further aids in delivering accurate quantities of cement from the The slide valve 7 is provided for the purpose of cutting off supply of cement from the hopper to the rotary valve when it is necessary to repair the rotary valve.

I have illustrated and described the present preferred embodiment of my invention. It is to be understood, however, that the invention may be otherwise embodied within the scope'of the following claims.

I claim: 1. A rotary valve comprising a valve casing having an inlet and an outlet, a hollow rotor having openings in its periphery which when the rotor is in one position communicate at the same time with said inlet and outlet so as to feed material therethrough, the periphery of said rotor forming closure elements for closing the inlet while the interior of the rotor communicates with the outlt, and a rotatable scraper inside of the rotorr 2. A rotary valve, comprising a valve casing having an inlet and an outlet, a hollow cylindrical rotor having openings through its periphery which when the rotor is in one position communicate at the same time with said inlet and outlet so as to feed material therethrough, the periphery forming closure elements for the inlet and outlet when the rotor is in'one position but when in another position closing the inlet while the interior of the rotor communicates with the outlet, a rotatable scraper inside of the rotor, and means operable from the outside of the rotor for operating the scraper.

3. Av rotary valve comprising a valve casing having an inlet and an outlet, a hollow cylindrical rotor with closed ends, trunnions on the ends rotatably mounted in the casing, the periphery of the rotor having openings therein which when the rotor is in one position communicate at the same time with said inlet and outlet so as to feed material therethrough, the periphery forming closure elements for the inlet and outlet of the casing when the rotor is in one position but when in another position closing the inlet While the interior of the rotor communicates with the outlet, a shaftextending through one of the trunnions and rotatable relative thereto, a scraper secured to the shaft, and means outside of the valve for rotating the shaft.

4. In combination, a hopper, a rotary valve having an inlet communicating with the hopper, a slide valve for controlling the flow of material from the hopper, a frame in which the slide valve operates, said frame being secured between the hopper and rotary Valve and comprising an upper and a lower plate and a spacer therebetween, said slide valve having plow-shaped ends for scraping material from the grooves formed by the frame.

' HAROLD E. MCCRERY. 

